1. 1Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for capturing documents by analyzing information carriers. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices for analyzing gaming coupons or receipts.
2. Related Art
A number of games, especially lottery games, consist of the player completing a gaming coupon comprising a grid formed of boxes. The player places signs within these boxes to form a combination, on which he bets.
These gaming coupons are forwarded by the players to gaming offices equipped with gaming terminals. Receipts are delivered to the player in exchange for the coupons, together with an acknowledgement of the corresponding stake. The gaming terminals are generally equipped with analysis devices, or coupon and receipt readers, which make it possible to formulate coded signals transmitted to a central unit, where the bets of the players are stored in memory until the draw.
Conventional readers are of the type which utilize a global box-by-box analysis of the document, where the positive recognition of the signs placed on the gaming coupon corresponds with the player's bet. Such systems, however, are of relatively complex construction and correspondingly difficult to employ.
Moreover, when the gaming document, such as a coupon, is poorly completed by the player (for example, by poor alignment of the gaming signs in the corresponding boxes), the conventional systems are poor at validating the coupon. Similarly, these systems cannot always recognize certain documents, such as receipts, when they contain significant printing defects.
Another drawback of conventional systems is that they do not allow for detailed recognition of the signs written in by the players, such as crosses, circles, etc.
The invention aims to remedy the drawbacks of the conventional readers by creating a device for analyzing information carriers which, while being of relatively simple construction, ensures both the precise recognition and reading of the documents presented to it.